BALTIMORE The Orioles endured a tough Wednesday at Camden Yards, dropping both games of a doubleheader to the surging Minnesota Twins, who extended their winning streak to 10. Baltimore fell 6-3 in the opener and lost the nightcap 8-6, sinking to a season-worst 15-26 record 11 games under .500 for the first time since June 2022.
“It was a long and disappointing day,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’ve got to move on and bounce back tomorrow.”
One of the few positives came from Chayce McDermott, the Orioles’ No. 4 prospect, who was called up from Triple-A Norfolk as the 27th man for the day. Making just his second MLB start and first ever at Camden Yards—the 26-year-old right-hander flashed potential, despite some command issues.
McDermott gave up four earned runs over three innings, surrendering four hits and three walks while striking out five. A two-run homer by Trevor Larnach and an RBI single by Kody Clemens accounted for most of the damage. Still, McDermott displayed the swing-and-miss stuff that has made him Baltimore’s top pitching prospect, generating seven whiffs five of them on a fastball that topped out at 95.3 mph.
“I always get nervous before starts, but I settled in after the first inning,” said McDermott, who tossed 65 pitches (34 strikes, 31 balls). “It’s about execution, and I didn’t do that well enough today.”
Hyde echoed the sentiment: “He has the stuff, but you’ve got to throw more strikes and work ahead in the count at this level.”
McDermott had a limited workload due to his recovery from a lat strain suffered during Spring Training and had not thrown more than 65 pitches in any outing this season. He was optioned back to Triple-A after the game but remains a strong candidate for a return later this season, especially with Baltimore’s rotation struggling to a 5.66 ERA ranking 28th in MLB.
Despite the losses, there were bright spots Cedric Mullins hit a grand slam in Game 2, helping the O’s briefly rally with a six-run third inning. Mullins remains determined to keep the team’s energy up.
“We’re grinding every day, trying to get wins,” Mullins said. “There’s still a long road ahead, but we’ll keep pushing, one day at a time.”
Though the Orioles are not yet in full rebuild mode, continued struggles could lead to extended opportunities for young arms like McDermott as they try to regain momentum in a challenging AL East race.
